Cbs' New Sitcom Is Proof That Sophomoric Humor And Dead-in-the-water Writing Can Doom Even Capable Actors.

August 25, 1993|By Greg Dawson, Sentinel Television Critic

The only time I laughed while previewing the dreadful CBS sitcom The Trouble with Larry was during the closing credits when the name of the producer appeared on the screen: Highest Common Denominator Productions.

I laughed . . . I cried.

If sophomoric dreck like Larry really is an example of programming that appeals to the highest common denominator, then Beavis will be the next secretary of state and Butthead will sit on the Supreme Court.

Every season there are TV producers who seem intent on testing H.L. Mencken's proposition that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.

Maybe it's the fact not all of them go broke that we keep getting shows like Larry, which tests the self-control of anyone with an IQ over 50 and a sledgehammer or handgun in the house.

Not that we needed more examples, but Larry is another instance of that frightening TV syndrome: When Bad Shows Happen to Good People.

That's typical of the nonstop witlesscisms in tonight's premiere of Larry, which opens with a string of fat jokes and reaches a comedic peak when Larry, garbed in lederhosen, sticks pickles up someone's nose.